The National tribune., 1887-09-01
THE 9Th MASS.
A Comrade Thinks II has Been Neglected by the
Historians.

EDITOR NATIONAL TRIBUNE: i was men,
Der of the Massachusetts volunteer militia some
years before the war, aud know that nay regi-
ment drilled from the time the South began to
talk secession until we were called TO the field
hot for fun nor for show, but for business"
Yet, Mr.. Editor, in all the written records of
the war-histOries of the rebellion and stories
OF battles-l have never seen one word about
the 9Th Mass. / have been reading Maj. Ben:
Perley Poores account of the first troops who
left business, pleasure, homes loved ones, every
thing and rushed TO save the Capital and the
flag. i love to have him speak so grandly of
the nobis old 9th aud sth Mass, for no drawer
men ever left their pleasant iresides to defend
their conntrys flag; but could but ask myself
again, rs have so many times before, why was
the 9Th LETT out2 Not a word not a syllable,
not even the name Of that regiment mentioned.
Yet / cannot believe it was all imagination
that led me TO suppose there was such reg-
ment think il would be hard 10 make the
boys believe IL who were with me on that ter
rible march from Annapolis to Washington, for
one wing Of the regiment marched from the
landing place TO the junction, the other from
the junction TO Washington, aud with the Fire
Zouayes built Fort Ellsworth. We patrolled
Alexandria for a few days after the death Of
Ellsworth. We marched in the Bull Run cam
paign under that noble patriot and gray. beard
cd veteran, Col. lafteFward GENERALLY Heintzel-
man.
Maj. Poore was Massachusetts, man, and
remember the circumstance of a citizen of that
State, under the forfeiture of a wager on an
election, wheeling loaded wheelbarrow some
distance, and if | remember right the initials
OF hisname were Ben: Perley Poore." Strange
that he should remember so wildly every other
regiment OF his noble State. but have entirely
forgotten the grand old 5th--the only three
months regiment from Massachusetts, that was
in the first Bull Run fight, aud who volunteered
TO 20 through that fight alter its three months
had expired.
What did that body of troops ever do to de-
serve being left out of all record? Ask the
brave ones whose bones stuck up through the
ground, bleaching in the sun in 1868 when
crossed that bloody field again with the 3d.
Ask the brave Serg't Lawrence, whose heart
was pierced by two rebel bullets and who fell
so near me heard the shots strike him. Ask
those who, under the whitening fire of grape
aud solid shot, charged and held for long time
the position that our battery was driven from.
i remember well the words of Col. Samuel c.
Lawrence before that charge. He said, Bows
i shall give the word TO charge, but never 10
retreat" and he did not, for he was carried off
the field wounded. Ask those who lay i'm the
position We captured and held for a long time
without support of a regiment or company even,
but, lying fiat on our faces, poured the deadly
IRE into the ranks of that column mistak EN- for
our own men until we could see the buttons
on their coats. when they opened on us like a
" four-dollar bible' but the 9th coolly delivered
the most deadly fire ever saw in any battle
was in. That column dropped like pins in
bali-aliey or grass before the scythe. The de-
struction Of life was greater at Gettysburg i'm
front of the SD in the great charge on the
night of the second day, but IL was 30 dark We
could not see them fall as then.
Col. Lawrence WAS carried from the Geld, but
the 9Th was led by Adj't John Chambers-as
brave man as ever drew n sword-after-
ward killed in battle. Quite a number of the
old 9th boys were with me in the sd, but
dare 10 say that they never saw much hotter
work than they had at Bull Run. Strange
that Maj. Poore should have entirely forgotten
all these cireumstances!-P. &. MILLS, Private.
Co. l., 9th Mass, and Lieutenant, sd Mass,
Belleville, Kan.